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Daily Herald
December 9, 2001
Only the most ostrich-like among us would imagine Kane County will be an agricultural county for much longer. Even
now, it's rural character is under stress nearly all the way to its western border. That the county is fighting
hard to protect that once-rural nature does little to dissuade us from its inevitability. And thus, we disagree
vehemently with the Kane County Board executive board committee recommendation that the county oppose a major beltway
project between Interstate 90 and 88.
"This would just throw our whole land use plan into a different strategy," said Kane Board Chairman Mike McCoy. "We tried to do a good job planning for growth. This would change that." While we agree with his first contention, we would question the efficacy of the plan over the long term. And we must differ on the second. One need only look at the crowded mess that Randall Road has become to question the effectiveness of any county planning for growth. Even further west, Illinois 47 can be a crawling trail of trucks and auto traffic at times. And that's before many proposed developments are built.
Simply put, Kane County already has some serious traffic problems, is enmeshed
in the growth juggernaut and isn't likely to stop either one. It needs more and better highways, not fewer. Worse,
taking an antagonist stance now is likely to assure the county will have very little influence on any final beltway
centerline. That stance also would reduce the likelihood of winning concessions that are more likely to come to
a member of the team than a strident but largely toothless opponent. Forest preserve property could be better protected
with involvement rather than defiance. Antagonism also would virtually guarantee enough ill will that the county
could expect little federal or state help with other highway or bridge needs anytime in the near future.
One need only look at the O'Hare expansion experience to see what happens to local
entities once the state and federal government has decided a change is necessary for the greater good. Better to
be part of the project than to be left standing in the corner spouting platitudes as reality - and influence -
pass by.
True, the beltway idea is far from a done deal or a funded project. But it is
also true that having the Speaker of the House from this area and Chicago transportation problems on the front
burner in Washington makes it
a far more likely scenario than it might otherwise be. Outright rejection of the beltway idea is short-sighted
and more emotional than cerebral. Kane County would be better served by a board and leadership
that can think ahead and find ways to use such state and federal projects to protect what can be protected and
solve traffic problems at the least possible cost.